Card-holder for record systems and the like



E. LAvERGNE DIT RENAUD. CARD HOLDER FOR RECORD SYSIEMS AND THE LIKE.APPLICAHON FILED APR.2'2,'I9 18.

.1 338,7 90. Pa nted May 4, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE'LAVERGNE DIT'RENAUD, OFYMOVNTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA.

CARD-HOLDER FOR, RECORD SYSTEMS AND THE LIKE.

Application filed. April 22, 1918.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EUGENE LAVERGNE (lit RENAUD, a subject. of the Kingof Great Britain, and resident of the city of Montreal, in the Provinceof Quebec and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in (lard- Holders for Record Systems and the like, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in recording systems, and theobject of the invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive and elasticsystem for recording various data.

The principal use of the system will be for keeping track of the salesmade by whole sale or manufacturing concerns to retailers. in theconduct of any wholesale or manufacturing business it is necessary inorder to avoid serious loss to watch carefully the sales to and creditof retailers. Ordinarily, it is necessary to prepare special statementsfrom the ledgers when required. The purpose of the present invention isto provide a system for keeping a permanent and u to-date' statementwhich will show at a glance the sales to each customer for aconsiderable period and which will also give other useful information.This is accomplished by providing a holder for each customer adapted tocontain a series of. renewable cards. The holders are mounted in frames,preferably in alphabetical arrangement, and the frames are mounted inany suitable manner to permit of quick and easy reference, such as incabinets or in book form. \Vhen a record card is filled, it may bephotographed and copies supplied. to salesmen or other departmentsinterested, while the original may bepasted in a book kept for thepurpose of preserving a complete record of sales to individual custonrers.

In the drawings which illustrate the in.-= vention;.-

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of frame adapted to contain aplurality of card holders. N I

Fig. 2 is aplan view of one of the record cards. I

Figs. 3, 4; and 5 are cross sectional views illustrating different formsof frame construction.

Figs. 6 and 7 are end views illustrating Specification of LettersPatent.

inserted endwise.

Patented May 4:, 1920.

Serial No. 230,143.

different forms of card holding construction.

Fig; 8 is a fragmentary, perspective view of the card holder shown in-Fig. 7.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 11 designates a rectangularframe adapted to slide in a cabinet similarly to a drawer or to bemounted in a suitable binder similarly to the leaves of a loose-leafbook. The method of storing the frames is immaterial as long as it ispossible to refer quickly and easily to them. Each frame is providedwith a pair of internal grooves 12 adapted to receive the record cardholders. These grooves are provided in duplicate, as shown in Figs. 3,4: and 5, so that the frames when filled will show records on both sidessimilarly to the pages of an ordinary book. The frames may be of anysuitable construction, either woodor metal. Fig. 3 shows a cross sectionof a' frame made of rolled, drawn or cast metal. Fig. 4 shows a framemade of wood, the division 13 between the grooves 12 being, for the sakeof strength and compactness, a strip of metal inserted in the wood. Fig.5 shows frame formed by bending a strip of metal to the required shape.The frame may be permanently closed or may have one end 14 adapted formovement so as to open the frame. This may be 0011- venientlyaccomplished by hinging one extremity of the end, as at 15, to the sideof the frame. To facilitate the insertion and removal of card holders,various means may be provided at intervals either in the closed or opentypes of frame; for example, notches 16 leading to the grooves 12 may beformed through which the holders may be removed or inserted by anedgewise movement. Another method of accomplishing the same result willbe to provide openings 17 in the side of the frame, as shown in Fig. 5,through which the holders may be The holders themselves are merelystrips 18 of metal turned over at the edges so as to form grooves 19 forthe reception of the edges of the record cards. Where these holdersareof sufiicient length, it may be found possible to spring them into placein the frames without providing any special means for their admission.It is preferred to make these holders a sufficiently tight fit in thegrooves of the frames so that they will remain in whatever position theyare placed. This will be quite easy of accomplishment, owing to thefolding over of the holder edges, which will provide a natural spring toengage the edges of the grooves. The purpose of having the holders fitsufficiently tight in the frames to prevent accidental movement is notonly to hold them in whatever position they are placed but also to holdthem against escape through the openings 16 or 17.

In order to economize space in the frames, the holders may be providedwith end portions 20 inclined with respect to the plane of the holders,so that the holders when inserted in a frame will be inclined and may bearranged in a slightly overlapping relation, as shown in Fig. 7.

The records are inscribed on a plurality of cards, designated 21, 22,23, 24 and 28. As an example, of what these cards may con tain, it maybe stated that the card 21 may be inscribed with the salesmans number,the card 22 with all particulars as to the date and time the salesmanwill call on the customer, the card 23 with the customers phone number,and the card 24: with the customers name. Cards which would bear thenumbers 25, 26 and 27 and which are not shown would be inscribedrespectively with the customers address, business and commercial rating,as given by Bradstreets or a similar agency. The card 28, as shown inFig. 2, is divided into fourteen columns and into a number of lines. umnwill contain year dates, the next twelve columns represent months, andthe last column, totals. The monthly sale totals for each year areentered along the year line and the yearly total in the last column. Inthis way, monthly totals and yearly totals for a number of years arebrought together and may be readily compared with one another and withthe credit rating, so that a glance will show whether a customersbusiness is growing or shrinking. When an order is received from thecustomer, it is only a moments work to turn to the record and ascertainif the order is unusual in any way or if it exceeds the estimated safecredit. The record card shown is of the simplest form and it will beunderstood that it may be elaborated according to the requirements ofthe user. For example, additional columns may be provided for each monthto show the amount paid by the customer and also the customers totalindebtedness. In this way, the user can detect instantly any tardinessin meeting obligations, which would indicate that the customer was infinancial difliculty. For convenience, the top of the frame may beinscribed with the classification names 29 of the various cards.

When a record card is filled or it is desired to change any of the othercards, the

The first col-' holder is removed from the frame and the cards slippedout endwise and replaced as desired. By arranging holder outlets atsuitable intervals in the frames, any holder may be removed withoutdisturbing adjoining holders, or at most, without disturbing more thanone or two. When the record card 28 is completed and removed from theholder, it may be pasted on the page of a loose-leaf book allotted tothe customer. This transfer record will show a complete summary of thecustomers purchases, etc., and will prove a very valuable .record. Nhenrecords are added to the transfer book, the page may be photographed andprints sent to travelers or any departments interested. On the otherhand, the filled frames may be photographed periodically and copies sentto interested parties.

lVhile the invention has been described particularly as a system ofrecording sales,

it is obvious that it is not limited to this.

scribed, so as to show 'the quantity, de-

scription, method of packing, cost and sell ing prices, changes ofprice, and also any necessary dates in connection with such information.When used as a record of goods, the photographic reproductions will formnew sheets for the salesmens books, thus avoiding the numerous mistakeswhich invariably occur when salesmen correct their stock books accordingto information sent them. According to this system, salesmen will merelysubstitute the fresh photographic reproduction in his stock book for theobsolete one. For all forms of its use, the feature of photographicreproduction is particularly advantageous, as it entirely eliminateserror.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is In a device of theclass described, a card holder comprising a body portion having its longedges overturned to form card receiving grooves, and end tabs for saidbody projecting beyond the ends of the overturned edge portion, saidtabs being arranged in a plane inclined to the plane of the body.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

EUGENE LAVERGNE m RENAUD,

